‘The Good Wife’ Season 3, Episode 15, ‘Live From Damascus’: TV Recap

Just as Will’s long legal nightmare appears to be over, it starts again in the “Live from Damascus” episode. Defeated in court and fired by the SA for bungling the judge-bribing case against Gardner, Wendy Scott-Carr turns all the evidence she’s collected over to the State Bar Association. But before he gets that dire news, Gardner’s dancing through the halls with Diane. “The adrenaline’s pumping,” he roars, “and I’m ready to take someone down”—namely, abrasive Neil Gross and his social networking company.

That’s where Damascus comes in. The firm represents three American protestors and their families in a class action for wrongful death. Gross’ company, they charge, sold its decryption software to the Syrian government. It was then used by the Syrian army to decrypt private emails in order to arrest, torture and murder protesters.

“You don’t care about these protesters,” Gross tells Lockhart, Gardner. “You care about your top client, Patrick Edelstein, who’s battling me for control of the international software market. This is just one more attempt to embarrass me in order to make way for him—it’s death by a thousand paper cuts. This is one paper cut.”

Representing Gross: Viola Walsh (Rita Wilson), who previously tried to lure Alicia away from the firm. Or maybe not: this time, Viola either doesn’t remember Alicia or pretends not to. Soon enough, she’ll be asking first year associate Caitlin to join her. And in the meantime, she offers the protesters’ families a ludicrously small settlement.

Outside the conference room, Kalinda is talking to her Syrian contact, Samir, on Skype when an irate Eli calls in: “Did you talk to Stacy Hall about my ex-wife?” Kalinda hangs up.

So Eli is left to deal with the situation solo: Why did Vanessa hire his rival? Because, she says, he had refused to run her political campaign. He reminds her of the Bin Laden problem (she slept with a Bin Laden—not that Bin Laden). Okay, he advises, “don’t go with the green border on the posters. “Voters don’t think nature when they see green, they think bad skin. Look at the McCain campaign…and that is not your best side. You need warmer lighting…gold is good on you…do you really get nostalgic about our time together?”

“Good night, Eli,” she says.

Will wrangles with Viola, who’s having none of it: “Here’s your problem. You need to show that (1) my client knowingly sold to Syria and (2) he knew the software would be used to capture and kill protesters. Good luck with that.”

Diane is puzzled: “It’s like they’re challenging us to take it to court.”

But Kalinda’s contact has the invoice in hand. Samir says it was routed through Dubai. He will call her when it’s safer.

Well, you’d think there was just too much going on in these offices for any more plot twists—somehow, in between Syrian torture and sleeping with a Bin Laden, we’ve also kept Will’s Not Guilty party going on. But up pops Lionel Deerfield to warn Will: “Have you talked to anybody at the Bar’s Attorney Compliance and Disciplinary Board? They’re pursuing your disbarment.”

Will grows despondent—and Josh Charles really gets a chance to act—as Lionel natters on: “I’m on the disciplinary review panel. I shouldn’t be saying anything, I’m sworn to confidentiality, but we received anonymous charges that you took $45,000 from a client’s account…”

“…and put it back. 15 years ago,” says Will (for the 50th time).

Yep, Lionel says, but “there’s no statute of limitations on disbarment. We start disciplinary proceedings tomorrow…I thought you should know.”

After this, we need some comic relief, which comes courtesy of wacky Judge Abernathy, who arrives in court for the Syrian protester case absolutely bursting with admiration for Occupy Wall Street. “These amazing young men and women, braving weather to challenge the system—and I for one salute them. That’s all I want to say.”

One of Lockhart, Gardner’s class action clients, who had been studying Arabic in Syria, takes the stand to testify that he and his sister were beaten up during a protest and when officers took them into custody, military police had transcripts of phone calls they had made discussing joining the uprising. He saw Gross’s logo on the screen. And police kept his sister, Sara.

As the subplots turn, Will tells Diane about the Bar pursuit, and she tells him to throw himself on the mercy of the board. “It never ends, does it?” he says. “Once they have you in their grasp, they never let go.” Diane throws on her coat and leaves as Eli gets off the elevator.

“Nora! There is someone in my office!” the ultimate office-crasher screams when he spots Stacie Hall. Then, “You can’t just come in here. You need to call ahead.”

“You left one of your socks last night. I needed to return it,” she says, dropping a ridiculous red and white striped sock on his desk.

“I did not. That is not my sock—what am I, Santa?”

Stacy says she needs to see him again, adding, “I can still taste you this morning.”

“Oh. Okay. Thank you. Goodbye,” he says, totally repulsed.

There’s more footage of Syrian violence, with Stacy interrupting Kalinda’s research—“I have a quick question: How did you find out she slept with Bin Laden?—as the whole office does a double take. “Oh no not THAT Bind Laden,” she says.

When Alicia spots their software client Patrick Edelstein in the conference room, she assumes, “So we are doing this for Edelstein.” No, he says, “I need you to settle. I’d rather not have Congress look into our foreign sales of decryption software.”

Too bad. “We don’t represent you in this case,” Will says. “We represent the three families of the dead protesters.” And if Edelstein leaves, he tells Alicia, “That’s the breaks.”

There’s more court testimony about a trade show known as “The Wire-tappers’ Ball,” during which Judge Abernathy sobs: “Over lunch I went to offer moral support to Occupy Wall St. and it’s because of the pepper spray …”

Viola tries to get past testimony that Gross knowingly sold to Syria by arguing, “You hold a grudge against Mr. Gross’ firm—an argument over billing.” She then recalls the American protester to the stand and asks, “Why are you suing?” “Because my sister is dead and she doesn’t have to be.”

Viola then flashes a photo of Sara, who is apparently alive.

Gardner, though, is a Dead Man Walking before the Bar disciplinary group, where they have decided, “the $45,000 evidence warrants proceeding. But it has come to our attention that you have been responsible for the pro bono department in your firm at a time when most firms are curtailing their pro bono efforts. For this reason, we would like to offer you the option of suspension…six months probation, no cases, no clients, no entering the courtroom except as a private citizen.

“And if I decline?”

“Then we proceed to disbarment hearing and the determination of this panel will be permanent.”

Still pursuing the protesters’ lawsuit, Will tells Diane they should put Kalinda on finding out more about Sara, then murmurs, “You talked to the board.” He has until tomorrow to decide.

Diane tells him to fight it, because “six months away from the law will kill you.”

In another heart to heart, Alicia talks to Caitlin about the offer to join Viola’s firm: “Just so you know, other firms will try to distract you by asking you to join them. It means nothing. They never trust you if they poach you.”

Eli has tougher love for his ex about her Bin Laden strategy: “Own it. Be the one to bring it forward. Cloak it in open-mindedness, pushing back against anti-Islamic prejudice. It’s only a name. Our president had the same middle name as a genocidal dictator and we still elected him.” At which point Vanessa tells him, “Either stop caring or officially get on board.” Eventually, Eli agrees, and she kisses him.

Cary, reorganizing the SA’s office, basically kicks out Dana: “We need you to step away from court. This is what Peter needs…what the office needs.” She leaves, royally pissed: “You know I was just following Wendy Scott-Carr’s orders.”

Kalinda learns that the photo of captured Sara comes from the lesbian website Pink Damascus. Except when she makes contact, Pink Damascus is some bearded dude on a couch in Kansas. He only has an IP address…traced to an Internet café. Unfortunately, she gets Samir involved: He finds Sarah, but may have lost his life.

Will apologizes to Alicia for not telling her about the grand jury investigation before it happened. “It’s moved to a possible disbarment,” which, he says, he deserves. “The

only reason I’m being offered leniency is because of our pro bono program, something I fought tooth and nail against.” He’s decided to take the six-month suspension.

Which is worse than we thought: Diane tells him he won’t be able to come into the office, and the name of the firm will be changed to Lockhart and Associates.

“So we’re done,” he says.

“For now,” Diane answers. “You’ll still have a place when you come back.”

Right now, he’s taking his place in court, where Gross testifies he didn’t know the decryption program was being sold to the Syrian government.

“If you wanted, Mr. Gross, you could tell us where my client’s sister is being held,” Will says. Viola objects, the judge sustains, and Diane will later reprimand Will about bringing passion into court: “It clouds your judgment.”

Alicia’s life gets even more complicated—but they’re complications viewers will look forward to—when Diane reassigns a case to her: “Keep it under the radar. The case is Kalinda—primarily a tax case, some business, some personal, mostly before she joined the firm.”

“I appreciate your confidence, but I would think a tax lawyer would be more qualified.”

“It’s past what a tax lawyer would do,” Will ominously replies.

Kalinda’s Syrian contact finds out that Sara is being held in an empty school in an abandoned courthouse, but the video fails before an address is delivered.

“I know how we’re going to win this case—tech support,” Will says. So he gets Roger from Gross’ help desk on the stand to testify they have received hundreds of calls from Syria since the uprising began, and every user who calls must identify the license agreement.

Viola calls for a recess and soon Diane reveals to Will, “They have her—she’s in Germany.” So Sara has been released, but the next time Kalinda calls Samir, there’s a woman there with a warning: “Don’t call again.”

Will gives his office one last overview, picks up his bat and his briefcase and starts to leave. Kalinda watches him put a law book back, and as he pushes the elevator button with the bat, Alicia comes out to say goodbye.

“Burning the midnight oil even on your last day?”

“I thought I could squeeze out one last billable hour.”

“Any idea what you’re going to do?”

“Maybe write a rock opera. There hasn’t been a decent one since The Wall.” Then, seriously, he says, “I’m good, but thanks…follow Diane’s lead. Alicia, you’ll do fine.” The elevator doors close.

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